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Yosemite, Death Valley, the Coast in one week in March?

I'm trying to put together an itinerary for the last week in March. I really want to go to Yosemite but not if there is a lot of snow and chains would be required, trails closed, etc. I realize it is not likely to happen, but also that it is possible. I was going to come up with a completely alternate plan but I was wondering - if there were to be a storm at the beginning of the week, wouldn't it then be highly unlikely that roads and trails would still be screwed up by later in the week?

What do you think of these itineraries? Drives times are from mapquest which allows for longer than google maps so hopefully these are really reasonable times. And is this enough time in the parks (I realize more would be better)? (we tend to be able to be up and on the road by 8am, 9 at the latest, some days could be even earlier)

Plan A
Sat - drive Lafayette - Yosemite 4 hours, all afternoon in the park
Sun - Yosemite all day (will stay in El Portal)
Mon- Yosemite till about 2pm, then drive as far as Bakersfield (4 1/2 hours)
(I know it's a pit, we're just going to sleep there)
Tues - drive to Death Valley (4 hours) - afternoon in the park
Wed - Death Valley all day
Thur - in park till around1, then drive to Santa Barbara (6 hours)
Fri - Santa Barbara area, to San Luis Obispo
Sat - drive up Rt 1 - Have to be at SFO for a 9:30pm flight

Plan B
Sat - Lafayette to Monterey
Sun - Monterey to Santa Barbara via Rt 1
Mon - most of day in Santa Barbara area, drive to Ridgecrest (3 3/4 hr)
Tues - Most of day in Death Valley
Wed - Death Valley till about 2 pm, then drive to Bakersfield (4 hr)
Thurs - Bakersfield to Yosemite (4 1/2 hr), afternoon in the park
Fri - all day in the park
Sat - in park until 2 or 3, then drive (4 hr) to SFO (for 9:30 flight)

Do you think it's safe to not have a Plan C - which would not have any Yosemite?

Do you think it's safe not to book hotels except for the ones in the National Park (e.g. El Portal - I know it's not IN the park and Death Valley)?

Either is fine - I'd personally do Plan B but not much difference. But honestly - I'd bite the bullet and drive from SB through to DV and DV through to YNP. No reason to even sleep in Ridgecrest or Bakersfield. SB to DV is about a 6 hour drive. DV via B'field/Fresno is about a 7 hour drive. In March short days won't be a problem.

By cutting the nights in Ridgecrest and Bakersfield you have extra time to spend in both parks.

There probably will be snow everywhere except the valley floor in March. But if the ski resort is open at Badger Pass (free shuttle from the valley floor), it is possible to rent snowshoes and walk around to the top of the ski slope (but not on the ski slope itself) with a nice view of the Sierra. That's what we did one year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4854878841/in/set-72157624516613985

Tioga Pass will be closed and Janis is correct is saying that the drive to Death Valley will take 7 hours. My understanding is that February is a better time for flowers in Death Valley.

If you are choosing between pits - Barstow is a slightly better pit IMO.
Unless you want to be able to say you've been to the lowest point in North America (Badwater), you should just drive through the Mojave National Preserve SE of Baker.

It depends on what you are wanting to do in each location.
The way your doing it is just checking the places off and not really experiencing them. Is this your first time to these places?

Personally, I think you are really rushing Death Valley and The Coast. I could easily spend a week in Yosemite(not sure about March though). On our last trip to the coast we spent 5 days just between Monterey and Hurst Castle. On our only trip to DV we were there 2.5 days/2 nights and that wasn't nearly enough time.

spirobulldog - do you really think that two full days in Yosemite is just checking it off? Since only the 'valley' will be available that seemed like the right amount of time from what I've read. I would like to get to most of the major viewpoints and do several short (1-2 mile) hikes but it seems like two days is about right to do that. Most guides books, reviews, and trip reports talk about that amount of time (or less). Obviously going to Glacier Point, Tioga Road, etc would require more days but they aren't an option when I'm going. I'd be interested to hear what there is to do in the valley in March that will take more than two days (other than skiing or snowshoeing). If there is I would consider cutting DV but it really seemed like two days was good (guide books say the 'average' time in Yosemte is 4 hr, which of course is ridiculous, but I though 5 or 6 times that was good).

I read your TR/photos in DV but now I can't remember how many days you spent. Again I thought two days would allow us to see quite a bit, although obviously not everything. And re the coast, I did the stretch between Santa Cruz and Hearst Castle (including touring the castle) two years ago. My daughter who will be with me on this trip wasn't with me so I wanted to drive it with her, but she now lives in Berkeley (at least for several years) so she should have more chances to do it in depth.

Janis - I agree about not wanting to waste any time in the 'pits' but if we don't want to leave Yosemite till 2 or so that would be well after 10 that's we'd get to DV, and a lot of driving. Actually that's why I asked about needing reservations in places like Bakersfield, Techachapi, Ridgecrest - if you don't then we'd go as far as we could so as to have more time the next day in the park.

Tom - don't understand what you are saying 'just drive through the Mojave National Perserve" - do you mean instead of going to DVNP? Why?

Michael - we can only go that last week in March, hopefully we'll get in the window with minimal snow and lots of flowers.

You might consider Joshua Tree NP instead of Death Valley. IMO it's more interesting, way, way more accessible, and it gives you both high desert and low desert environments in close proximity. Plus if you want you can spend the night in Palm Springs (just an hour away) where there's a huge range of affordable accommodations.

Frankly I would pass on Yosemite; irrespective of conditions you really don't have enough time to see it in the context of a very rushed itinerary.

You could do the valley in 2 days or perhaps less. But, if this is your first time to Yosemite, just know your missing a huge chunk of it. Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, Maripossa Grove. Actually hiking The Mist Trail or Panorama Trail(in/to/from The Valley) is a must if you are able to hike, IMOP. Those trails wouldn't be available in the summer.

I consider it like going to Disney and riding 1/4 of the rides.

I'm not trying to be critical of your plan, it's just your putting a whole lot into one week and your going to be missing a whole lot a each location. And your going to be driving a whole lot and really not doing much.

What about stuff like Point Lobos, Monterey Aquarium, McWay Falls, Big Sur, Nepenthe, Kayaking at Elkhorn Slough, Shopping in Carmel, Hurst Castle, Pebble Beach 17 mile drive. This is all on the coast drive and is all super. It takes a few days to do those things as well

Unless you just love the Joshua Trees or are into Rock Climbing, I think Death Valley has far more to see/do than JT. It is further out of your way. I was born in Twenty Nine Palms-which is JT's front door.

Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, Maripossa Grove. Actually hiking The Mist Trail or Panorama Trail(in/to/from The Valley) is a must if you are able to hike, IMOP.

Not in March for most of them, and with the recent fire, I don't know that the area around Hetch Hetchy will be that attractive. I still say that two nights and one full day for the valley floor is sufficient.

Janis - That trip report was one of the first things I read as I initially planned this trip. I just re-read it and see that you got there around 2pm, then had a full day, then left around 1 pm on the following day. That is EXACTLY what I have planned.

How did you get that deal on lodging? How far in advance did you book it?

Spiro - I know I am missing a 'huge chuck' but I am going in MARCH, I would love to go to Glacier Point but I understand it will be closed. I am hoping to stop in Maripossa Grove on the way out if it's doable at that time (I've got conflicting info on this). I also read in several places that the Mist Trail is closed in winter. If you can point me to any resources that say those things will be open in March I would really consider changing my itinerary but so far everything I've read says they are not available when I'll be there.

Point Lobos, McWay Falls, Big Sur, Nepenthe, Hearst Castle, Pebble Beach - I did all of those two years ago but will probably repeat some of them (not Hearst Castle which takes the longest). I can go to the New England Aquarium (for free) whenever I want so don't usually do aquariums when I travel, if the weather is bad I'd certainly consider it. I can't afford to shop in Carmel but driving through it was interesting. I think March is a bit cold to kayak.

I am actually more interested in seeing what these is to do around Santa Barbara area as I didn't get that far last time.

I was originally planning on Joshua Tree but most people seem to think Death Valley is more interesting.

Mojave National Preserve has plenty of Joshua trees and is even more accessible than Joshua Tree.
You can go south off I-15 east of Baker and go through Cima and Kelso and hit I-40. If you go under I-40 and continue south you can hit the the National Trails Highway which was the old US 66.

isabel: I get periodic e-mail alerts from Yosemite w/ things like 72 hour sales and special offers. Not sure if I signed up for them or they just send them to me because I've stayed there in the past.

Got one a couple of weeks ago (but didn't even open it since I'd already booked the Lodge and the Bracebridge dinner for Christmas Eve and figured it wouldn't be anything I could use) Check the website and see if there is a place to sign up for alerts.

Thanks Janis. I just looked and they list a number of 'deals' and 'packages' but for my dates the cheapest is still $185 night and doesn't include any meals. Oh well. I will probably go with Yosemite View Lodge. Cedar Lodge is a little cheaper but I gather it's rather sketcy, at least compared to Yosemite View.

I don't think Cedar Lodge is 'sketchy' -- it is just that most Northern Californians have really (REALLY) bad memories of what happened there (google it) making it nearly impossible to recommend. But from what I know Yosemite View is the nicer property . . .

janis - your're from Northern Calif. What can you tell me about the stretch from SF to Eureka, and about Eureka itself?
I'm still planning on SF and Yosemite, in fact I just booked the flights this morning. But now I may need to change my plans a bit and after Yosemite instead of going south go north. My youngest daughter just informed me she wants to move to Eureka!!!!! My son moved to SF almost two years ago for a job, and my oldest daughter moved to Berkeley in Sept for grad school at UC and now this. We are from Massachusetts and youngest daughter left 6 months ago with her boyfriend to experience living somewhere else and went to Tenn which they don't like so now this. They have very little money and no specific job prospects (neither have finished college) and no idea where they'd live other than "seeing lots of stuff on craig's list". I'm thinking this is not a good idea but what do I know. Anything you can tell me that I could pass on to her? And then, if she does go through with it, any suggestions for stuff to do on the way up there (5 hours!!) that might make me and the other daughter fell less bad about having to ditch Death Valley and the central coast.

Well, actually it does about driving up there part, if they do end up in Eureka. I have vague memories of a long ago trip where I drove from SF to Washington along the coast (I do remember Ferndale) and I know it was lovely but of course I can't remember what was where.

As for Eureka.... Got any other suggestions I could give them of places in California that are not horribly expensive to live in. They originally were thinking of Santa Cruz but ruled it out as too expensive.